PERFECT STORM II: SPLC CONFIRMS

RETURN OF MILITIA GROUPS

August 12, 2009

On Wednesday, August 12, 2009, the Southern Poverty Law Center issued a special intelligence report confirming the rebirth of militia groups in America.

EXCERPT

The 1990s saw the rise and fall of the virulently antigovernment "Patriot" movement, made up of paramilitary militias, tax defiers and so-called "sovereign citizens." Sparked by a combination of anger at the federal government and the deaths of political dissenters at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas, the movement took off in the middle of the decade and continued to grow even after 168 people were left dead by the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City's federal building — an attack, the deadliest ever by domestic U.S. terrorists, carried out by men steeped in the rhetoric and conspiracy theories of the militias. In the years that followed, a truly remarkable number of criminal plots came out of the movement. But by early this century, the Patriots had largely faded, weakened by systematic prosecutions, aversion to growing violence, and a new, highly conservative president.

They're back. Almost a decade after largely disappearing from public view, right-wing militias, ideologically driven tax defiers and sovereign citizens are appearing in large numbers around the country. "Paper terrorism" — the use of property liens and citizens' "courts" to harass enemies — is on the rise. And once-popular militia conspiracy theories are making the rounds again, this time accompanied by nativist theories about secret Mexican plans to "reconquer" the American Southwest. One law enforcement agency has found 50 new militia training groups — one of them made up of present and former police officers and soldiers. Authorities around the country are reporting a worrying uptick in Patriot activities and propaganda. "This is the most significant growth we've seen in 10 to 12 years," says one. "All it's lacking is a spark. I think it's only a matter of time before you see threats and violence."

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VIEW PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE OKLAHOMA KKK

PERFECT STORM: OKLAHOMA HATE GROUPS INCREASE
12 TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IN 2008

March 5, 2009

Commentary by James Miko

During the first three days of this week, Oklahoma City saw six actions conducted by two recognized hate groups: The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas waged their “God Hates Fags” crusade at the Oklahoma State Capitol and Moore High School and the black separatist group known as The Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ of Oklahoma City screamed hate, including gay slurs, from street corners that included NW 23^rd & MacArthur, Belle Isle, Western & Hefner, and the downtown bus station (those are the ones we know about). Both groups are notorious for their distain for homosexuals. The WBC has their methods and are more well known, but the lesser known ICGJC has called for the streets of America to be filled with the blood of homosexuals.

Just two months into the year and Oklahoma City has seen not only those gay-hating gatherings, but a major conference courtesy of Reclaim Oklahoma and the John Birch Society (JBS), who in between discussing conspiracies chatted about their favorite semi-automatic assault weapons and the homosexual agenda. Then a number of our esteemed legislators decided that a gay minister’s remarks were not suitable for inclusion into state records. It was no coincidence that many of those legislators are also members of the JBS.

Additionally, the leaders of a top state conservative political action committee, whose funds and endorsements are sought by Republican candidates, are heating up the rhetoric about all things gay. So much so that they’ve become comfortable in openly quoting Biblical scriptures that call for the public execution of homosexuals.

Not only are they outside the State Capitol doing their hate thing, they’re now inside it doing so and to top it off they’re now at the schools and the damn 7-11 on Western screaming “Hate the Faggot” too. You can’t even get a friggin’ cup of coffee in this city without being confronted by hate.

There’s a trend in Oklahoma. That trend is hate and it is on the rise to such a degree that this state is quickly outpacing the rest of the country in the number of recognized hate groups springing up. Indeed, last year Oklahoma’s hate industry grew 12 times faster than the national average. 

In 2007 there were 13 hate groups identified in Oklahoma. From 2007 to 2008 the state saw a staggering 50% rise in these types of organizations. Nationally, during that same period the number of hate groups rose just 4%. This means that Oklahoma’s increase was over 12 times the national average. From 2000 to 2008 the growth in hate groups was 54% for that eight year period across the United States. Just how could Oklahoma achieve in one year what it took the rest of the country nearly a decade to do? And, mind you, this figure doesn’t even include any increase Oklahoma had for the first seven years of the millennium.    

The population of the United States in 2008 was estimated to be 303,824,640 by the U.S. Census Bureau Census. The population of Oklahoma was 3,642,361. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center there were 926 recognized domestic hate groups operating in the nation during that period. Nineteen of those were in Oklahoma. Per capita there is one hate group for every 328,104 Americans – in Oklahoma there is one for every 191,703 residents. To hit the average mark Oklahoma would have 11 such entities, but the 19 it does have puts the state far above the national norm.   

A 2008 comparison of Oklahoma and surrounding states:

State                      Population*          # Hate Grps**      Grps Per Citizens                 Rank

Oklahoma              03,642,361          19                           191,703                                2

Texas                      24,326,974           66                           368,590                                6

Kansas                   02,802,134           08                           350,267                                5

Arkansas               02,855,390           20                           142,770                                1

Missouri                05,911,605          30                           197,054                                3

New Mexico          01,984,356           01                           1,984,356                             7

Colorado               04,939,456           15                           329,297                                4

*United States Census Bureau

**Southern Poverty Law Center

Oklahoma has twice as many hate groups per capita as California or New York. It has ten times as many as neighboring state New Mexico. In the region Arkansas does outrank Oklahoma, but we’re gaining. For the 2007/2008 period that saw our state rise by about 50%, Arkansas only gained two new groups. In 2007 our eastern neighbor had 18, which increased to 20 in 2008, so an 11% increase. Thus our hate growth was 4 – 5 times greater than the area champ. Pretty soon we might be able to wave those big foam rubber number one hands and mean it.   

Fueling the increased hate in Oklahoma are national trends with having a person of color as president and a scary economy, but in this state citizens are also being constantly incited against everything from homosexuals to immigrants to the federal government – all courtesy of elected law makers and dominionist church leaders. This perfect storm of fears being reinforced by the authoritative voice of state government takes normal hate into the realm of official, legislatively sanctioned hate. State sanctioned hate has in the past caused everything from holocausts to jihads.  

When you have state officials on all forms of media declaring that gays are after your children and are worse than terrorists, illegal immigrants are bankrupting the cities and raping your wives and daughters, and President Obama is going to send black helicopters in to take control of a state that is in the path of the Communist Chinese marching in from Mexico, well, the gullible Bubbas lock and load.

Oklahoma possesses a state legislature that has abandoned governance and pursued a course of forced ideology on its citizenry, while becoming business interest servants rather than public servants.

Some legislators are guiltier than others at creating a land where hate is a civic obligation. 

The fear and hate mongers like Sally Kern, Randy Brogdon, and Randy Terrill are enemies of the State of Oklahoma in that they strive to incite the citizenry to take up arms and defend themselves from the boogeymen they’ve invented.  Misery loves company…and apparently mental illness does too.

Extremists like those listed above are guilty of screaming fire in a crowded theater. The right to free speech ends, when it is so egregiously abused that its sole purpose is to bring violence to others. Clearly, that is their intention. The hypocrisy that Sally Kern whores herself to, when she stirs up terrors in the hearts of parents by convincing them gays are after their children followed by her “but I love homosexuals” lie, is used for the sole purpose to motivate those parents to stop the “threat” to their children via any means necessary. Now such means generally involves bloodshed in Oklahoma. This is, after all, a place that relishes in its rankings for domestic violence, state executions, and the number of children dying through abuse.

Further feeding the hate frenzy in Oklahoma, is the fact that racism and violent religious fanaticism isn’t just reserved for whitey. A substantial part of the growth in hate groups comes from the establishment of black separatist chapters related to The Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ.

Hate has an appetite and when a white supremacist group flames, then a black separatist group leaps into the fray and everyone else is caught between two warring parties. Kern carries a pistol in her purse and  Ahahayamgabar hides one within his robe.

They hate each other, but both groups share a common enemy: homosexuals.

Now ain’t that a bitch?